Dan Henderson and Renato “Babalu” Sobral are set to meet in the main event of Saturday night’s “Strikeforce: Henderson vs. Babalu”. Take a look at what each fight had to say prior to the bout in the pre-fight press conference.
Dan Henderson
Henderson last fought against Jake Shields at “Strikeforce: Nashville”, losing a five-round unanimous decision. Now, the former UFC and PRIDE superstar returns in the hopes of a title shot against a fellow UFC veteran.
“I don’t care if I respect an opponent or not; my goal is to win, to go in there and beat the other guy up.” Henderson said. “It’s no secret. I am going to look for the knockout.”
Henderson has made a name for himself due to his knockout power and exciting fights. Meanwhile, Sobral has taken a different route, earning submission victories consistently throughout his career.
But “Babalu” has fallen short when matched up against superior strikers before. Still, Henderson believes Sobral is yet to face the hardest hitter in his professional career and he expects to earn the knockout this weekend.
“I don’t care if he absorbs strikes well,” said Henderson. “I hit harder than the other guys (he has fought).”
Renato “Babalu” Sobral
Sobral has had extensive experience in the world of mixed martial arts. However, at this point, he is ready to attain the gold he has so eagerly sought, and his bout against Henderson provides an opportunity to fight for the Strikeforce light heavyweight title.
“Everybody wants to be a world champion, everybody wants the title,” Sobral stated. “I’ll fight anybody that brings me closer to that.”
Sobral understands what a victory against Henderson will bring him as a professional. The fight is arguably the most important of his career and, in terms of where he is currently at in his career, a loss here could be devastating.
But make no mistake. “Babalu” is prepared for this weekend’s contest.
“This will be a tremendous fight, don’t worry about that,” said Sobral. “I’m as prepared for this fight as I can be and will do whatever it takes to finish this fight.”